Winning isn't everything -- but it's not bad

Kara Goucher, who grew up in Duluth, had plenty of opportunity for unbridled celebration after landing spots in two Olympic events.

By RACHEL BLOUNT, Star Tribune

Last update: August 5, 2008 - 5:15 PM

She didn't win her race that steamy June night in Oregon. Kara Goucher had finished second in the women's 10,000 meters at the U.S. Olympic trials, a runner-up for the fourth time with an American championship on the line.

Still, Goucher danced on the track and grabbed her friend, third-place finisher Amy Begley, to soak up the applause at the University of Oregon's Hayward Field. The years when her track career hung by the thinnest of shoelaces had taught her there is no shame in second place -- especially when it comes with a spot on the Olympic roster. "I always act like I won, but I've never, ever won,'' Goucher said, unembarrassed by her glee. "I feel amazing."

So how would the Duluth East graduate behave if she actually won a major race? Goucher, 30, had to wait only a week to find out. She blasted through the final lap of the 5,000 meters at the trials to become a first-time national champion as well as a first-time Olympian, then celebrated the way she usually does: overflowing with gratitude for everything she has gained since rededicating herself to her sport.

"Winning was a huge accomplishment for me,'' said Goucher, who plans to compete in both the 5,000 and 10,000 in Beijing. "It's awesome. "Four years ago was probably Ground Zero for me. It was a low time, but obviously, something was still there. I never stopped believing.''

Her self-assured performances in both races at the trials brought Goucher the fulfillment she had been seeking for years. She battled winner Shalane Flanagan in the final laps of the 10,000 and lost by three seconds. In the 5,000, Goucher broke away with Flanagan and Jen Rhines with 1,200 meters to go, then tore through the final lap in 63 seconds to win in a time of 15 minutes, 1.02 seconds.

She enters the Summer Games in exceptional condition. Thanks to the multi-dimensional conditioning program of coach Alberto Salazar, Goucher has avoided the injuries that spoiled so many of her seasons, and her strength and fitness are greater than ever. A sports psychologist has helped her banish the negative "inner monologues'' that made her mind as fragile as her body.

That's a far cry from four years ago, when Goucher began to question why she was still running. After winning multiple Minnesota state titles in track and cross country, Goucher went to the University of Colorado and won three NCAA titles in 2000, then finished eighth in the 5,000 at the Olympic trials.

Injuries and nagging self-doubt stalled her progress. By 2004, Goucher had fallen so far that she finished last in her first heat of the 5,000 at the Olympic trials.

"I ate a lot, and I gained a lot of weight,'' she said. "There were times when I asked myself, 'Am I crazy?'

"I learned to appreciate my running so much more because of that. There was always a little hope in me. I never completely flamed out. My first year working with Alberto, when I ran 15:17 -- which seems so slow now -- I was like, 'There's still a fast girl in there somewhere.'''

Salazar invited Goucher and her husband Adam, a distance runner dealing with his own struggles, to join his Nike Oregon Project. There, in Portland, the couple trained with other distance runners in unsurpassed facilities under Salazar's guidance.

Goucher thrived on his workouts, which focused on building strength and avoiding injury. The beautiful outdoor trails, the high-tech Nike facilities and the running-mad local culture renewed her love for the sport. In 2006 -- her first year without an injury since she had begun racing -- Goucher set personal bests at four distances.

One of them was the 10,000, in which she clocked the second-fastest time by an American woman in her second race at the distance. A year later, Goucher won the bronze medal in the 10,000 at the world outdoor championships, becoming the first American to medal in that event.

She had something bigger in mind. In her adopted hometown, with family and friends from Duluth in attendance, she got it when she qualified for the Olympic team.

"The [world] medal was awesome,'' Goucher said. "It proved to me I can compete with anyone on any given day. But this is like, 'I'm an Olympian!' This is the childhood dream.''

Goucher's times rank below those of the African runners who dominate the distance ranks, but she continues to shave seconds. Her personal record of 14:58.10 in the 5,000 makes her the 21st-fastest woman at the distance this year. In the 10,000, she stands 25th with a season-best time of 31:26.48.

Her only disappointment at the trials came when Adam failed to make the Olympic team. There still will be a Goucher in two events; she will run the 10,000 on Aug. 15, followed by the preliminaries of the 5,000 on Aug. 19.

"When I moved [to Oregon], it was a fresh start,'' Goucher said. "I've wanted to be an Olympian for so long. I feel amazing.''

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